I think it starts out really well. The first two paragraphs are nice and tense. Later on some of the details seem superfluous, like everyone’s occupation. “Unemployed” seems particularly meaningless under the circumstances. At the moment they can all consider themselves unemployed:). There might be better ways to sketch out a group, something more vivid and personal not so much like a census entry. I am not sure if the chapter is a start of something but it can stand on its own. All the community planning seems premature and takes away from the drama, unless it’s meant to be dashed later. I like the ending with the door closing, but it might be better without the second half of the sentence.